Can microplastics that pass through your kidneys damage your urinary tract?
Yes. Microplastic fragments found in urine caused inflammation and damage to urinary tract cells, suggesting risk during their excretion.
What's actually in it
Microplastics that enter your bloodstream get filtered by your kidneys and excreted in urine. This might sound like your body is successfully clearing them out. But the journey through the kidneys, ureters, and bladder isn't harmless.
Your urinary tract has a delicate lining that's vulnerable to irritation from foreign particles passing through.
What the research says
A 2026 study in J Hazard Mater tested what happens when aromatic microplastic fragments interact with urinary tract cells during excretion.
The microplastics caused inflammation and oxidative stress in the cells lining the urinary tract. The damage was proportional to the amount and type of plastic particles.
Aromatic plastics like polystyrene were more damaging than other types, releasing chemical compounds as they passed through that irritated the surrounding tissue.
Even though excretion removes the particles, the repeated daily damage from new particles passing through could contribute to chronic urinary tract inflammation over time.
The research at a glance
| Study | Journal | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Potential risk of aromatic microplastic fragments during urinary excretion. | J Hazard Mater | 2026 |
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